Alan Stewart’s UK and Ireland family history news

Royal Free Hospital’s archive set to move

The Royal Free Hospital’s archive collection will be moving from Hampstead to the London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) in Clerkenwell next month.

The reading room at the Royal Free Archive Centre at The Hoo, in Lyndhurst Gardens, Hampstead, will close on 13 September 2013 to enable the preparation and transfer of the collection to the LMA.

Both the Royal Free Hospital and London (Royal Free Hospital) School of Medicine for Women collections will be available at the LMA, in Northampton Road, Clerkenwell, from early 2014. The LMA is part of the culture, heritage and libraries department of the City of London.

During the transfer, the Royal Free Hospital will continue to answer as many telephone and email enquiries as it can, subject to staff and document availability.

A spokeswoman from the Royal Free says: “This is an exciting new chapter for the Royal Free’s archives. The trust has an enormously rich history and, with documents dating back to 1828 when the hospital was founded, it is of paramount importance that the archive is properly cared for. Its new home at the London Metropolitan Archives will allow greater access for members of the public and will ensure this valuable material is preserved for future generations.”

Nick Kingsley, head of archives sector development at the National Archives, adds: “We have worked closely with the Royal Free and the LMA on the transfer. We are pleased that the records will be made available at the LMA alongside so many other important hospital collections and other records relating to the health and social history of London’s inhabitants.”